Shoe-plate.



B. R. HEUSSER. SHOE PLATE. APPLIQATION rmw 11:10.19. 1910.

993,682 Patented May 30, 1911.

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ERNEST R. HEUSSER, OF MURRAY, UTAH.

SHOE-PLATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 30, 1911.

Application filed August 18, 1910. Serial No. 577,798.

To all'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST R. Hnnssnn,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Murray city, in the county of Salt Lake and State of Utah, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoe- Plates, of which the following is a specification.

. My invention relates to shoe plates designed to be secured to the soles of shoes for the purpose of giving a firmer foothold to the user, such devices being commonly worn on foot gear adapted for use in athletic exercises and sports of various kinds and particularly in connection with the game of base ball.

The chief objects of the improvements which constitute the subject matter of this application for patent are :-to provide a simple and efficient shoe-plate of comparatively light weight that will be adapted for all purposes for which such devices are intended; to furnish such plates with removable calks or spikes so designed and secured that they may be easily and quickly inserted or removed from the plate while the latter is attached to the shoe, and since the removal of the ordinary plate from a shoe for the purpose of substituting a new one is inconvenient, particularly when secured by rivets, this feature of the invention is of particular importance.

Another advantage will be observed in the changeable spikes or calks, which are made to fit any socket in any plate, so that when a calk upon one part of a plate becomes more Worn than the others they may be changed about to suit the requirements.

Another object of this invention is to supply detachable spikes held firmly in place by a simple and effective device that will permit the spikes to be removed and inserted without the use of tools, of any kind.

The desired results are obtained by means of the devices illustrated in the accompanying drawing, which forms a part of this application, the details of construction and manner of assembling being disclosed in the following views.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a plate adapted to be attached to the sole of a shoe; Figs. 2 and 3 are, respectively, a side elevation and a top plan View of one of the removable spikes, and Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1, with one of the spikes in position in its socket.

Referring to the details of the drawing, the numeral 5 indicates a fiat toe plate having a substantially triangular shape, the angles being truncated as shown at 6 to give a desirable outline conforming to the shape of the sole to which it is to be attached. This plate is preferably made of sheet steel by the process of stamping, all parts except the removable spikes being integrally joined together, and it is also a requisite that the plate should have a certain degree of resiliency for a purpose that will appear later. The central portion of the plate is cut out, forming an aperture 7, the object being to lighten the plate by removing superfluous material without lessening its strength to any appreciable extent.

The plate is pierced by countersunk holes 8 to permit the insertion of suitable screws or rivets (not shown) by means of which the plate may be permanently secured to the shoe sole. Upon either side of the blunt angles 6 the margins of the plate are furnished with flanges 9, which are bent inward to overhang the plate, forming grooves 10, and these, together with the space between the flanges, constitute a seat for a spike or calk, consisting of a flat plate 11, beveled at the edge as shown at 11 and having a dove tail shaped flange 12 projectin at right angles therefrom. The latera inclined margins of this flange engage the grooves 10, and when in position the member is held in its seat by a tongue 13, formed integrally with the plate 5, by meeting cuts 14, the flap or tongue thus formed being raised above the surface of the plate, as shown in Fig. 4, forming an abutment which will act as a stop for the flange 12, and thus hold the spur or spike against accidental displacement, the wedging action of the inclined margins of the flange in the grooves 10 serving to make a firm connection, and hold the member rigid. It will be observed that the toe-plate shown in Fig. 1 is slightly unsymmetrical in outline, which is caused by a moderate shortening of the angle designated a, thus adapting the plate to fit the right shoe sole. To fit the left shoe, the opposite angle 1) would be the one to be shortened.

The heel plate (not shown) differs in no essential from the toe plate, the only variati on being that the plate Would be somewhat smaller to fit the lesser area of the face of the heel, and the angles could be all alike thus making the plate essentially symmetrical. The spike sockets or.seats, however, would be of the same dimensions in all the plates, as before stated, so that the spikes may be interchangeable.

The manner of attaching the plates to the shoe sole Will be readily understood, screws or rivets being used as may be desired. The plates having been secured in place the spikes are inserted by depressing the tongue 13 until it is flush With the plate surface and sliding the margins of the flange 12 into the grooves 10. As soon as the said flange is in place the said tongue Will spring back to its interlocking position. To remove the spur the tongue is again depressed to permit the flange 12 to he slid from its seat.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, is

1. A plate adapted to be attached to a shoe, grooved marginal flanges on said plate, spikes having flanges adapted to slidably engage said grooves, and resilient tongues on said plate adapted to engage the flanges on said spikes.

2. The combination With a plate adapted to be secured to a shoe sole, said plate having grooved flanges arranged in pairs, of a spike consisting of a plate bent at a right angle, one portion of said plate being adapted to engage the grooves in said flanges, and

means on said plate adapted to interlock with the groove engaging portion to hold it in position.

3. In combination With a plate adapted to be secured to a shoe sole having suitable sockets therein, spikes adapted to be removably secured in said sockets, each of said spikes having a flattened portion, and an integral dove-tail shaped extension projecting at right angles to the plane of the spike.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

ERNEST R. HEUSSER. lVitnesses C. V. ERIOKSON, J. H, ERICKSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

